Ni Leslie Ann G. Aquino
Hinikayat ng Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) ang mga botante na huwag iboto ang mga “epal” na kandidato sa Barangay at Sangguniang Kabataan elections sa Mayo 14.
Sinabi ng poll watchdog group na ang “epal” na mga kandidato ay iyong mga nangangampanya bago pa man ang campaign period.
Sa Mayo 4 magsisimula ang panahon ng kampanya.
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“Candidates who campaign, before the start of the actual period, are scrupulous individuals who take advantage of a loophole in the law,” pahayag ni Atty. Rona Caritos, project director ng Lente, sa isang pahayag.
Umapela ang grupo sa mga kandidato na huwag mangampanya nang wala sa panahon.
“Act as a good role model to the SK candidates,” ayon sa Lente.
“As for SK candidates who are also engaged in premature campaigning, we appeal to them to stop so that they would not be part of the vicious cycle of traditional politics in the country,” dagdag nito.
Una nang sinabi ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) na ang maagang pangangampanya ay hindi ikinokonsiderang election offense.
“@COMELEC En Banc resolved today: premature campaigning is not an election offense in manual elections, such as barangay election, or automated elections,” tweet ni Commissioner Rowena Guanzon (@commrguanzon).
Nakasaad sa Republic Act 9369 o ang Poll Automation Law na, “any person who files his certificate of candidacy (COC) shall only be considered as a candidate at the start of the campaign period” at ang “unlawful acts applicable to a candidate shall be in effect only upon that start of the campaign period.”
